Peer Review – Formal Report Proposal

TO:                      Andree Coschizza

FROM:                Emily Leung

DATE:                 October 16, 2019

SUBJECT:          Peer Review of Project Proposal on Implementing a Waste Reduction Program at UBC’s International Food Court

 

Dear Andree,

 

Thank you for the opportunity to review your project proposal regarding the feasibility of implementing a waste reduction program at the International Food Court (IFC). The topic is highly relevant to UBC students like myself, and I enjoy reading it. Please see the review below with suggestions for improvements for each section of the proposal.

 

First Impressions

The proposal is well-organized, engaging, and convincing. The layout is easy to follow with appropriate headings, and the writing flows smoothly. Required information is included in the proposal in a concise and orderly manner. Minor edits on grammar can be done to make a stronger proposal.

 

Introduction

• The introduction sets an excellent background for the problem identified below; it paints the bigger picture of why the problem warrants immediate attention.
• Instead of presenting Metro Vancouver’s goals and efforts in waste reduction, try zooming in to the recycling programs at UBC (as they relate to IFC) to narrow down the focus of your research.
• The proposal seems to aim at finding the most suitable waste reduction program for IFC, rather than assessing its feasibility. It may be more accurate to call it a recommendation report and not a feasibility report (see textbook page 483-487 for the differences between the two reports).

 

Statement of Problem

• The problem is carefully broken down into smaller portions, followed by an examination of the root cause and implications for each.
• The solution and scope seem to address a problem that is not identified in this section, which is the lack of education on recycling for consumers. You might want to discuss this problem here to provide a context for the following sections.
• The analysis on polystyrene focuses primarily on Vancouver and Metro Vancouver; but how does it fit into the context of IFC? Do owners give out Styrofoam containers? Try to be more specific and pin the problem down to the study area so you can adequately address the problem. That said, the scientific facts for polystyrene remain a useful piece of information.

 

Proposed Solution

• Great job recognizing both the consumers’ and the producers’ responsibilities, and seeking to solve the problem from both ends. It is an excellent touch to identify the possible limitations and considerations for each solution as well.
• There are some inconsistencies in ordering adverbs. For example, you used ‘firstly’ for the first strategy (consumer education), but ‘most importantly’ for the second strategy (single-use waste reduction). Consider using the same adverb pattern for coherence.

 

Scope

• The scope of the proposal/research seems attainable and reasonable.
• The scope on the consumers’ side of the problem does not align with the statement of problem. The shortage of recycling bins is one of the issues but is not addressed by any of the areas of inquiries.
• Consider moving the fourth question to the beginning. It is because the availability of an existing recycling program at the IFC may affect your approach to the other questions.
• For the second question, consider adding a sub-question that investigates how students can be educated on recycling if their answer to the main question is ‘no’.
• For the third question, be more explicit as to who would bear the cost of the waste program. Besides, is monetary cost the only determinant of the feasibility of the program? If not, consider separating the two-part question.

 

Methods

• Try to narrow the target interviewees to students who go to the IFC only – as opposed to UBC students in general – because they will be directly benefited/affected by a waste program and are more likely to have an opinion on the project.
• For your visits to community centres and buildings, are you thinking of community centres and buildings within UBC? In Vancouver? Or in Metro Vancouver? 

 

Qualifications

• I appreciate how you actively seek out opportunities to better the environment, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone and expertise!
• I understand your educational background and previous work experience may not be directly related to recycling. However, don’t be shy to mention any environmental initiates you do during free time, such as recycling plastic cutlery. This little experience can inform the research as well!

 

Conclusion 

• The conclusion nicely summarizes the problems and solutions examined in the proposal.
• You can take a step further to discuss the tangible benefits of having a recycling program at IFC, other than its contribution to alleviating climate crisis on a global scale. Potential benefits can include reducing waste production on campus and its associated cost, helping students develop a habit of recycling, achieving UBC’s goal is zero waste, etc. This will make your proposal and subsequent research more focused.

 

Concluding comments:

• As noticed by Professor Paterson, please identify the target audience for the report. Thinking of who has the authority to act on your recommendations could be a place to start. A suggestion is the Zero Waste Squad, which is a student-led initiative to raise awareness of recycling on campus.
• The proposal tends to focus on the recycling problem in Vancouver as a whole, rather than the problem in IFC specifically; it is especially true for the introduction and statement of the problem. Re-centering the focus on IFC can enhance the coherence of the proposal and strengthen the recommendations proposed.
• The proposal could benefit from a more thorough scan of technical errors. I suggest further attention pay to the following areas:
  • Subject-verb agreement
    • e.g. ‘Firstly, while some wastes generated in the IFC are recyclable…’ (the verb does not seem to agree with the object)
  • Hyphenation
    • Make sure the use of hyphenation is consistent – you did not hyphenate ‘single use’ waste in the statement of problem but did in other sections.
  • Conciseness
    • e.g. Instead of saying ‘…store owners should be encouraged to move away from single-use waste such as Styrofoam and plastic bags’, try ‘the usage of single-use waste such as Styrofoam and plastic bags should be discouraged.’
  • Grammar

 

Thank you for the great work. I look forward to hearing how you advance with the research! Please feel free to reach out should you have any questions regarding my recommendations.

 

 

Link to Andree’s project proposal: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/10/11/formal-report-proposal-feasibility-of-a-waste-reduction-program-at-ubcs-international-village/